Infantino Proposes External Review of FIFA Governance Amid Reform Calls

Fifa president Gianni Infantino has proposed an external review of the governance of world football's governing body and indicated openness to reform. The proposal was detailed in a letter to Fifa council members that was also circulated to all of Fifa's member associations.

Infantino has put forward two reforms for consideration at an upcoming council meeting. The first asks whether council members wish to commission an independent external review of Fifa's current governance framework for major strategic initiatives and suggest potential improvements. The second proposes establishing a direct, structured, and time-limited consultation with confederations, member associations, and relevant stakeholders to discuss how Fifa's decision-making processes can be strengthened.

This consultation would aim to gather specific proposals on earlier institutional involvement, clarify the roles of the president, bureau, council, and congress, and identify practical ways to enhance transparency, participation, and accountability in major strategic initiatives.

The proposals come amid increasing pressure on Infantino, particularly concerning his now-aborted Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) plan. Under the FFE proposal, a new company would have been created to manage the commercial and ticketing rights for all competitions, including the World Cup, with 21% of the company to be sold to a private investment firm. Earlier this month, Football Association chair Debbie Hewitt, also a Fifa vice-president, urged Infantino to release all documents related to this plan.

Further compounding the pressure, European football's governing body, Uefa, began preparing criminal legal proceedings against Infantino in US courts last month over the FFE plan, demanding the release of all related documents. Fifa responded by accusing Uefa of a "smear campaign against it and its leadership" in its challenge to the litigation.

In a separate development, Uefa and Concacaf, the confederations for Europe and North America, Central America, and the Caribbean respectively, have demanded that Fifa pay $10 million to all 211 member associations from its cash reserves.

Infantino, 56, is set to stand for election for a fourth term as Fifa president in March 2027. His opponents have until November 18 to identify an alternative candidate.